Targeting issues and policies harmful to women, working families and other rhetoric

06/14/2005

The Lynching Vote: Bigots Still in Senate

Update IV: A commentor at AMERICAblog, who has commented here in the past, and I feel is a reliable source, has this to say about Alexander:

I just got a call back from Alenander's (TN) office. I explained that perception is important in some cases and right now his name is being linked with racism and pro-lynching.

His aide said he would talk to him about it. Said he had sponsored another res. back in Feb.05 about this topic.

Interesting, though, that the aide I spoke with at 9:26am, never once mentioned the other resolution Alexander had sponsored to me, particularly when I asked him why Alexander didn't co-sponsor the resolution voted on last night.

Update III: John at AMERICAblog posted how unanimous consent works in the senate. You can read it here.

That means all you need is one guy in the Senate chamber to have it pass (as I understand it, there were some 6 Senators or so there last night). That one guy says something about asking unanimous consent that SRes39 (the resolution) be agreed to. The presiding chair says "all those in favor say aye, all those opposed say no, the ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it." And bam, it's done. All you need is one Senator sitting there saying aye and it's "unanimous."

So I can't help wondering why Alexander feels it isn't/wasn't important enough to add his name to the list of co-sponsors.

Update: I just got off the phone with Lamar Alexander's Washington office. I specifically asked if he voted yes or no on SRes39, and was put on hold while the person who answered the phone went off to find the answer. When he returned, I was told the person that can answer my question was still at breakfast, and he dutifully took my contact information. When I get an answer, I will once again, update this post.

Update II: I just got off the phone with Lamar Alexander's office. It was explained to me that because the resolution passed by unanomous consent, that no senator objected to it, there was no need for Lamar to vote yea or nay.

Personally, I feel that should speak louder than anything else. I guess showing solidarity against something so horrific as lynching, is just not that important.

There were 80 co-sponsors and a voice vote. Why didn't every Senator support the Apology for not enacting a Federal Anti-lynching Law? Even the NYTimes is asking why the voice vote, where votes are not tracked and kept in the record. I want to know which are the bigots that still remian in our senate, don't you?

The formal apology, adopted by voice vote, was issued decades after senators blocked antilynching bills by filibuster. The resolution is the first time that members of Congress, who have apologized to Japanese-Americans for their internment in World War II and to Hawaiians for the overthrow of their kingdom, have apologized to African-Americans for any reason, proponents of the measure said.[...]

Although the Senate garnered praise on Monday for acting to erase that stain, some critics said lawmakers had a long way to go. Of the 100 senators, 80 were co-sponsors of the resolution, and because it passed by voice vote, senators escaped putting themselves on record.

"It's a statement in itself that there aren't 100 co-sponsors," Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said. "It's a statement in itself that there's not an up-or-down vote."

According to the bill summary & status at Thomas.loc.gov, there are 78 co-sponsors to Mary Landrieu's bill, SRes39. They are:

For Tennessean's, please note that Lamar Alexander is NOT on the list of co-sponsors. Wouldn't you like to know why? Lamar's Washington phone number is 202-224-4944

John over at AMERICAblog is urging us to call our Senators if they are not on the above list, and demand to know if our senators voted yea or nay, and then report back in comments. Be careful not to let them say that the bill passed. Demand an answer if they voted yea or nay.